Gun case



June 29, 1965 w. E. BENSON ETAL @un cAsE Filed April 24. 1963 INVENTORS M/Hx. 75 E .5E/50M BY JHM@ M ,QA/@54E v Arras/VE V5 United States Patent O 3,191,652 GUN CASE Walter E. Benson and .lames M. Lindsley, Fond Du Lac, Wis., assignors to J. M. Nash Company, Inc., Oshkosh, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Apr. 24, 1963, Ser. No. 275,347 Claims. (Cl. l50-52) The invention relates to gun cases and more particularly, to gun cases which are adjustable in length to accommodate rifles or guns of different length. Still more particularly, the invention relates to gun cases such as disclosed in the Bronson Patent No. 290,205, which gun cases include two flexible parts or sheaths which are telescopically engageable and which are adjustably connectable so as to permit variation in the overall length of the case. a

The invention is embodied in a conventional gun case including a main sheath adapted to enclose at least the stock and breech of a gun and an auxiliary sheath which extends outwardly, in partially telescopic relation, from the first sheath and is adapted to enclose the muzzle` end of the gun barrel. In accordance with the invention, the sheaths are adjustably fastened to each other through the interaction of a pile fabric surface on one of the sheaths, preferably the inside surface of the main sheath, and a hooked pile strip on the muzzle or auxiliary sheath. The use of the pile fabric surface and hooked pile strip provides various important advantages including economy of construction, infinite variation in the overall length of adjustment, ease of adjustment, and a broad attachment area between the main and auxiliary sheaths.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become known by reference to the folowing description and accompanying drawings of one embodiment wherein FIGURE l is a partially broken away elevational view of a closed gun case 21 embodying various of the features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the gun case shown in FIGURE 1, when in open condition;

FIGURE 3 is a partial perspective View similar to FIGURE 2, showing a different relation between the main sheath and the auxiliary sheath;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view showing the attachment of the auxiliary sheath to the main sheath; and

FIGURE 6 is au enlarged, partially diagrammatic view of the interengaging means employed in the gun case shown in FIGURES l through 5.

The gun case 21 shown in the drawings includes a main sheath 23 adapted to be wrapped around the stock, breech, and at least part of the barrel of a rifle or gun. Also forming a part of the gun case 21 is an auxiliary or muzzle sheath 25 adapted to enclose the muzzle end of the barrel and to extend, when the gun case is in use, from a position of partial telescopic receipt within the main sheath 23. Detachably connecting the sheaths 23 and 25 to enable adjustment of the extent to which the muzzle sheath 25 extends or projects from the main sheath 23 is interengaging fastening means 27. Various means for detachably connecting the sheaths 23 and 25 can be employed, such as a notched strap connected to one of the sheaths and, on the other sheath, a tongue engageable with the notches in the strap. Preferably, the connecting or fastening arrangement 27 comprises a pile fabric, shown in strip form at 29, and a hooked pile strip 31 adapted for releasable gripping interaction with the pile fabric 29. Such an arrangement facilitates innite variation in the adjustment of overall length and provides a connection which will reliably resist large ten- 3,191,652 Patented June 29, 1965 sion loads applied in the plane of the connection while, at the same time, can be easily severed by forces exerted transversely to the plane of the area of connection.

The pile fabric 29 may be of various kinds, including an ordinary pile fabric, a looped pile fabric, or a hooked pile fabric. The co-operating hooked pile strip 31 can be of the general type Shown in United States Patent Nos. 2,717,437 and 2,820,277. Co-operating pile fabrics and hooked pile strips of the type contemplated are commercially available under the trademark Velcro from the Velcro Corporation, New York, New York.

The main sheath 23 can be formed from a piece or length of leather, plastic, woven fabric, or other exible material and desirably includes zipper means 33 extending around the periphery of theree sides thereof to facilitate joining together the opposite lengthwise sides 35 and 37 and portions of one end 39 so as to close the main sheath around the stock of the gun while providing an open end 41 for projection therethrough of the auxiliary sheath 25 and the gun barrel contained therein. In addition, a carrying handle 43 is desirably included.

The inner surface of the main sheath 23 is desirably provided with a soft nappy material to prevent marring or scratching of the gun or rifle. Such a material can comprise a pile fabric so as to facilitate co-operation with a hooked pile strip on the auxiliary sheath 25. Alternately, a strip of pile fabric, such as shown at 29 in the drawings, can be employed. The pile fabric strip 29 can be secured to the main sheath 23 in any desirable way, such as for instance, by stitching or by the use of adhesive.

The auxiliary sheath 25 can be fabricated of leather, plastic, woven fabric, or other flexible or relatively rigid material, and is desirably closed at one end, as by an end cap 47. The other end 49 of the auxiliary sheath is open to facilitate insertion of the gun barrel. Suitably fixed lengthwise along the outer surface of the auxiliary sheath 25 is the strip of hooked pile 31 which is adapted to engage with the previously mentioned pile fabric strip 29 t0 securely, but releasably, connect or attach the auxiliary sheath 25 to the main sheath 23.

In assembling the sheaths 23 and 25 to obtain a unified gun case of desired length, the main sheath 23 is desirably laid out flat and the auxiliary sheath 25 is overlaid on the main sheath and pressed thereagainst to interengage the pile fabric strip 29 and the hooked pile strip 31. After such engagement, the muzzle end of the gun is inserted through the open end 49 of the auxiliary sheath and the zipper means 33 of the main sheath 23 is then used to close .the main sheath around the gun. Closure of the main sheath serves also to assure retention of the engagement between the pile fabric strip 29 and the hooked pile strip 31 by preventing lateral separation thereof outwardly from their plane of interengagement.

As both the pile fabric strip 29 4and the hooked pile strip 31 have considerable Width as well as length, interengagement therebetween is facilitated over a relatively broad and large area, precluding unwanted disengagement therebetween. Interengagement therebetween over a substantial length also precludes any pivotal action of the muzzle sheath relative to the main sheath, regardless of the presence of a gun in the case. Moreover, as already pointed out, use of the disclosed pile fabric and hooked pile fastening means permits the auxiliary sheath to be fastened to the main sheath at any desired position. Still further, the flexibility of the pile fabric and hooked pile permits their conformance to the overall contour of the gun case, particularly as shown in FIGURE 4.

The interengagement of the pile fabric strip 29 with the hooked pile strip 31 is reliably resistant to rupture under tensile loads acting in the plane of interengagement. In order to separate the strips 29 and 31, it is necessary to part of the main sheath 23 and the hooked pile strip 31 has been v.disclosed as a portion of the muzzle or auxiliary stietl 25,it is yobi/"inns,that either of the strips could Ee' erird toeither of thesheaths. yVarious 'of the fea'- turest of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

What is elairned is: i

l, A cas.t ,comprising a: mu'zile: sheath adapted to iiloe the lrniiizle end of thebarrel of a gun, said muzzle sheath having ars'iirfaceof hooked pile, and an elongated mainjs'fie'a'th adapted to enclose the stock, breech, and a portion of the barrel of the gun and to overlap a por-` tion of said nzzle sheath, said main sheath'rbeing of yiiexiblematerialpar'id having a pile fabric in facing relation t and i'rterengaged with said vhooked pile of said niuzzlesheath and zipper means along the two lengthwise". edges thereof, s aid Zipper means being engaged toV retain said main sheath a'roiind the gun and around said rn'uzfzle sheath portion to prevent lateral separation of said, pile fabrie and said hooked pile. i

A gn case comprising first and second telescopically related sheaths and infinitely variable releasable fastening means intervening between overlapped parts of said sheaths to conceal said fastening means and isolate said fastening means from contact with a gun in the case, said fastening means comprising coacting hooked pile fabric strips which have substantial surface ,area both longitudinally and laterally of the case and are flexible to yield in conformance with the sheaths. i

3. A gun case comprising a first sheath adaptedto enclose oney portion of a gun, a second sheath adapted to enclose theremaining portion of the gun, said second sheath extending' outwardly" from said first sheath from a position of partialV telescopic engagement within said first sheath, one of `said first and said second sheaths facing the other of said first and second sheaths with a longitudinally elongated surface of pile fabric, Land said other of said first and second sheaths facing said one of said first and second sheaths with a'longitudinally elongated surface including -a hooked pile strip, overlapping portions of the hooked pile kstrip and the pile fabric being concealed between overlapped parts of the sheaths and interengaging throughout their. coextensive surfaces for longitudinal stability of one sheath with respect to the other.

4. The gun case of claim 3 in which said first sheath has closure means tol ret-ain said' first sheath around a gun' and around the second sheath and to lock said hooked pile strip and said pile fabric against lateral separation. s

S. A gun case comprising inner and outer teleseopically related sheaths having overlapping portions, infinitely variable releasable fastening means concealed between said overlapped portions, the overlapping portion of the inner sheath intervening between said fastening means and a gn portion within said inner sheath to isolate' said gun portion from contact with the fastening means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS i FRANKLIN T'. GARnETr, Primm-y Examinar.

EARL J. DRUMMOND, Examinar. 

5. A GUN CASE COMPRISING INNER AND OUTER TELESCOPICALLY RELATED SHEATHS HAVING OVERLAPPING PORTIONS, INFINITELY VARIABLE RELEASABLE FASTENING MEANS CONCEALED BETWEEN SAID OVERLAPPED PORTIONS, THE OVERLAPPING PORTION OF THE INNER SHEATH INTERVENING BETWEEN SAID FASTENING MEANS AND A GUN PORTION WITHIN SAID INNER SHEATH TO ISOLATE SAID GUN PORTION FROM CONTACT WITH THE FASTENING MEANS. 